Sundered Snippet

Enjoy a snippet from my book, The Sundered, coming out June 29th from 4th Floor Publication.

Brain Damage, Anyone?

The scents are the first hint we’ve neared the market, reminders of old food, of fire thick with grease, and ash already burned a thousand times. The temperature rises, unpleasant and cloying, warm air flavored by living bodies and closed-up tunnels. A moment later, I see the flickering lights of torches.

The market is a huge open space dug deep in the mound of this snow city. Canals cut through like black gleaming metal, but on every side of them is wide-open space, a huge underground dome of debauched fools, people so thickly thronged I can’t make out one face from another.

There’s alcohol everywhere, burning happy-spices, people laughing — “Where are they?” I shout over the noise.

“Scattered.” Aakesh is tense.

“I have to find them! Help me save them! That’s an order!!”

He looks at me for one moment, darkly resolved, then grabs my arm and pulls me into the crowd.

We’re not flying. We’re leaping. But it’s happening so rapidly that I —

A deep, low boom echoes through the structure, shaking the ground, rattling detritus from the ceiling.

I’m too late. The attack is already here. “Aakesh!” I scream.

He looks up, teeth bared.

The ceiling breaks.

Chunks fall toward us, pieces of stone and mud so large they seem slow. He pulls my arm and everything blurs.

Something hits my head, sharp and painful, and all the sound goes muffled.